Innovations High School students Robert Boston and Monterio Williams killed in downtown Chicago shooting

During the lunch hour on Friday, two teenagers lost their lives after being shot in the Loop, an area usually bustling with tourists, students, workers, and commuters.

Deputy Chief Jon Hein of the Chicago Police Central Control Group stated that around 12:25 p.m., approximately six students were leaving Innovations High School at 17 N. State St.

Authorities reported that a dark-colored sedan and an SUV approached a gathering, with masked gunmen exiting the vehicles and initiating gunfire. Four of the assailants fled the scene in a vehicle, while two others escaped on foot, according to a source.

The pair who fled on foot sought refuge in a nearby Popeye’s, where they changed clothes in the restroom, as per the source.

Individuals from these vehicles disembarked and began firing, hitting two students identified as 17-year-old Robert Boston and 16-year-old Monterio Williams.

Subsequently, numerous police vehicles rapidly traversed the Loop, converging on Wabash Avenue between Washington and Madison streets around 12:30 p.m.

Hein said that nobody was currently in custody, although a source indicated that the police had detained one person.

Witnesses observed paramedics administering CPR to two individuals. An ambulance swiftly transported one of the teenagers away, while paramedics continued CPR on the second teen for an additional ten minutes, as reported by witnesses.

Witnesses informed Channel3 NOW that they heard two or three gunshots. The two individuals, seemingly male teenagers, were found lying on the sidewalk near an elevator that leads to the CTA platform.

Additional onlookers reported seeing a car with two occupants approach, and one of them fired shots from the window. Subsequently, the gunman exited the vehicle, and as one of the teens attempted to flee, he was shot three times, as described by witnesses.

Both teenagers were transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.

Hein mentioned that a passing woman had her jacket grazed by a bullet. Although she opted not to seek medical attention, she was engaged in discussions with Belmont Area (Area 3) detectives on Friday afternoon, as per Hein.

The intersection is centrally located in downtown, featuring numerous businesses, restaurants, and a bustling CTA train stop above the street.

Additionally, it is merely two blocks away from Millennium Park, a prominent tourist attraction in the city. The specific stretch of Wabash Avenue where the shooting occurred is recognized as Jewelers Row.

Following the incident, the surrounding streets were closed. The assailants managed to escape, last seen heading south on Wabash Avenue, according to Hein. He also conveyed that the incident was believed to be isolated, and there was no perceived ongoing threat in the area.